Blind shots over Klondyke and the Dell, a surfing village and goats that read the weather.
Lahinch is a golf club wrapped around a small surfing village on Liscannor Bay in County Clare. The Old Course is a classic links of blind shots, deep hollows and crumpled fairways, and the village is close enough to walk from the 18th green to dinner. The Cliffs of Moher are a 15-minute drive away. If you want a links trip where the town and the golf feel like one thing, Lahinch makes a strong case.
Book online through the club’s BRS visitor booking system or by contacting the office on +353 65 708 1003. Full payment is due when you book, and tee times are not held without it. Every player must declare an official handicap and home club; the maximum Handicap Index is 24 for men and 36 for women, and certificates may be checked at check-in. Juniors aged 14 to 18 need an index of 16 or better and must play with an adult. Old Course play is in fourballs, so smaller groups will be paired. Cancellations made 60 days or more ahead get a 50% refund; inside 60 days there is no refund, though the date can be moved once within the same year. Check in at the golf shop 30 minutes before your tee time.
Old Course visitor green fee, 27 April to 16 October 2026; Castle Course €60. Rates outside that period on request. Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The championship links with Klondyke and the Dell. It is walking only, played in fourballs, and visitors must take at least one caddie in the group. Expect blind tee shots on several holes and greens with strong MacKenzie contouring, where a caddie’s line off the tee saves strokes.
A shorter, more forgiving links on lower ground by the Inagh river, named after the ruined Dough Castle that stands beside it. It costs €60 in season, carries no caddie requirement, and suits a second round on arrival day or a gentler outing for mixed-ability groups.
The club dates from 1892, and Old Tom Morris laid out the first proper links in 1894. Alister MacKenzie remodelled it in 1927, and Martin Hawtree restored and strengthened the course from 1999, bringing back MacKenzie-style greens. Two Old Tom holes survive in spirit and are the ones people talk about. The 4th, Klondyke, is a par five where the second shot is played blind over a huge dune, with a marker on top. The 5th, the Dell, is a short par three to a green hidden between two sandhills; you aim at a white stone. Elsewhere the fairways twist through dunes in constantly changing directions. Lahinch hosted the Irish Open in 2019, and the South of Ireland Championship has been played here every summer since 1895. The club’s goats, which shelter by the clubhouse when rain is coming, are a well-known local barometer.
Lahinch is the natural base for the Clare coast. Doonbeg is about 35 minutes south, and Ballybunion is reachable in just over an hour via the Killimer–Tarbert ferry. Because the Old Course is the busiest visitor course on the west coast, book it first and arrange the rest of the trip around it. Leave a free afternoon for the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. The cancellation terms are strict, so travel insurance that covers tee times is sensible.
Shannon Airport is about 55 km away, roughly 50 minutes by road via Ennis. Dublin is about three hours across the country on the M18 and M6 or M7. There is no train to Lahinch; the nearest station is Ennis, about 30 minutes away, with connections to Limerick and Galway.
Nearby: 1. Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg (24 km) · 2. Dromoland Castle Golf Club (35 km) · 3. Ballybunion Golf Club (54 km) · 4. The Golf Course at Adare Manor (56 km) · 5. Tralee Golf Club (78 km) · Compare all South West Ireland tee times
The village has small hotels, guesthouses and self-catering houses within walking distance of the clubhouse; staying in Lahinch itself lets you walk to the first tee and back to the pubs. Ennistimon, five minutes inland, has more B&Bs and a lively main street. For something grander, Trump International Doonbeg and the hotels in Ennis are within 40 minutes, and many groups split a week between Lahinch and the Kerry courses.
Doonbeg is the obvious second links in Clare, a Greg Norman design in big dunes about 35 minutes south. Ballybunion is a ferry hop away, and Lahinch’s own Castle Course is good for an arrival-day round. Away from golf, the Cliffs of Moher are next door, the Burren’s limestone landscape is a short drive north, and boats run to the Aran Islands from Doolin in summer.
These packages have a confirmed round at Lahinch Golf Club in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
10 nights B&B, 7 rounds
Rounds: Old Head Golf Links · Waterville Golf Links · Dooks · Tralee · Ballybunion Old Course · Lahinch Old Course · Doonbeg
Stay: 2 nights in Cork, 5 in Killarney, 3 more on the Clare coast
The whole south-west links run in one booking, with Old Head’s prepayment and Ballybunion’s weekday-morning visitor window handled for you.
7 nights B&B, 5 rounds
Rounds: Tralee · Old Head Links · Ballybunion Old Course · Waterville · Lahinch
Stay: 5 nights at the Killarney Plaza Hotel, 2 at Vaughan Lodge in Lahinch
A week rather than ten days: Kerry from one Killarney hotel, then two nights in Lahinch so the last round is a walk from bed.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
The published visitor season runs from 27 April to 16 October. The South of Ireland Championship takes over the Old Course for several days in late July, so check that week before booking. Lahinch drains well, but autumn gales off the Atlantic can be fierce.
Explore golf by monthVisitors on the Old Course must have at least one caddie in the group. The club reserves one for each player unless you say otherwise. Caddies are independent contractors, so availability is not guaranteed even after booking.
No. Neither the Old Course nor the Castle Course offers ride-on carts. Pull trolleys cost €5 and a limited number of electric trolleys are available at €30, which are worth booking ahead.
Denim, collarless or sleeveless shirts (except collared sleeveless tops for women), untailored or cargo shorts, tracksuits, trainers and slogan garments are not allowed on the course. In the clubhouse, smart casual is expected and hats come off.
Shannon, about 50 minutes by road. Dublin is around three hours away, and Kerry Airport is about two hours via the Tarbert ferry if you are combining Lahinch with Ballybunion or Waterville.
Last checked 4 October 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
How we research our guidesPhoto credits and licencesA lighthouse, an Atlantic headland, and a round that stays with you.
Dune-ridge links on the Kerry shore, from the graveyard first to the cliff-edge 11th.
Heather-fringed dunes and blind drives beneath the Mountains of Mourne.
